Textile cleaning tool



May 10., 1938. M. M. SILVERMAN 2,115,645

TEXTILE CLEANING T0014 Filed March 12, 1956 INVENTOR A f/MM Sail/ERMA ATTORNEYS Patented May 10, 1938 TEXTILE CLEANING TOOL Max M. Silverman, Hartford, C'onn., assignor to Better Brushes, Inc., Palmer, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application March 12, 1936, Serial No. 68,456

1 Claim.

This invention relates to an improved form of clothes brush, and particularly to that class of brushes where the dirt is removed from the cloth by an electrostatic charge set up in the brush.

The object of my invention is to provide a brush having two parts either of which may be used as a handle while the other is rubbed against a cloth with the effect of setting up an electrostatic charge thereon, and which may be used to loosen the dirt and remove some of it while the other is applied subsequently to complete the cleaning process.

I accomplish this purpose by a Construction one form of which is indicated in the drawing, where- Fig. 1 is a side elevation;

Fig. 2 an end elevation; and

Fig. 3 a top plan view.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3, the brush comprises a part I made of celluloid (or a like material such as hard rubber which has the characteristic that an electrostatic charge may be set up by rubbing on cloth) and a sponge rubber part I. Part I has a series of parallel ribs 4 formed integrally in the upper surface and which are rubbed on the cloth to loosen up the dirt and at the same time set up an electrostatic charge on said part I.

The edge 6 of part I is crimped over and contacts all around the sponge rubber part I which may be further fastened in the hollow part I in any suitable manner. By this construction the entire surface of the implement is rendered capable of acquiring an electric charge.

Referring to Fig. 2, when the implement is being used the hard part I is preferably rubbed on the cloth, setting up an electrostatic charge thereon, and also loosening the dirt, a large portion of which attaches itself to the surfaces ll between the ribs 4. The brush is then turned over and the sponge rubber part I is applied to the surface of the cloth. The removal of a portion of the dirt by part I leaves the remainder in a loosened and disturbed condition. The cleaning surface of the sponge rubber of part I, which is flat, presents an exceedingly large area, close to When charged by rubbing, the sponge rubber surface attracts the loosened and disturbed dust and dirt, and removes it more effectively than where the sponge rubber alone is relied on to rout out the particles. The sponge rubber part 1 can be brought into action before the disturbed condition of the surface of the fabric created by part I has subsided. While the electric charge created on one side of the implement may spread too slowly to the other side of the implement to be a direct factor in the charging of the opposite surfaces, the fact that no direct barrier or boundary to the charges is present, as is the case where the surfaces are separated or broken by the presence of wood or metal, appears on empirical grounds to improve the efficiency of the device.

As the implement is repeatedly turned from one side to the other during a cleaning sequence,

the entire surface of the implement becomes charged, due to the overlapping of the two members and the crimping of the edges of the hard member against the sponge rubber member.

In the drawing I have indicated a construction which is shaped substantially like a shoe brush, but it is clear that the shape of the parts is immaterial and may be varied to suit the purpose of the brush, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having disclosed my invention, what I claim is:

An implement for cleaning fabrics which comprises a back member formed of a hard smooth material capable of acquiring an electrostatic charge when rubbed against cloth, said member being provided with ribs on one face thereof, and .a block of soft porous sponge rubber, capable of similarly acquiring an electrostatic charge, fastened on that face of the back member opposite the ribbed face thereof, said back member having side portions extending over and crimped against the adjacent side portions of the sponge rubber block whereby the entire surface of the implement is rendered capable of acquiring an electrostatic charge.

MAX M. SILVERMAN. 

